You bring up a very good point concerning the Holy Spirit:
After all, the Spirit of God in Revelation 1-5 appears as seven-fold. I sense this like a diamond with seven facets – one Holy Spirit, seven aspects. Back in post 4, I was wondering whether the Comforter is but one of these. I am now with the understanding that the Comforter is all of these and that is why Christians of good conscience can have what we believe are differences but are not.
That is a very profound observation. In my many years of being a Christian, I have found one area of failure in the church that seems to be common across demoninations and congregations, and that failure is an inability to recognize the many, many different aspects in the way the Holy Spirit moves and operates. And, of course, he moves and operates primarily through people, which gives us a body of believers with many talents.
Those churches that are most successful in terms of out-reach to the un-churched are those congregations that make use of the people sitting in the pews! Why have the pastor do all the work, when there is a church full of people who can effectively "minister" in their own ways, in their own situations?
Even in my own home church, there really isn't any opportunities to do much other than teach the children or be involved in the music ministry. Most us just come and sit on our bottoms every Sunday listening to the pastors' latest teachings. Then we go home.
That has changed a bit with the church's emphasis on small groups, but not much. Now we sit on our bottoms on Sunday, then go to someone's house and sit on our bottoms as someone else teaches us.
Now I do appreciate opportunities for learning, but there also needs to be opportunities for doing. (Other than just the children's and music ministries!) But if you are not a professionally credentialed clergyman, or at least very well connected, there isn't much for one to do in today's church.
But there are a few churches out there that recognize the need to create "ministers" amongst those in the congregation. In other words, they provide situations and opportunities where people acutally get to serve, pray, teach and encourage others, with whatever giftings the Holy Spirit has given them.
That's the kind of church I'd like to be involved with-- one that expects more of their congregation than to just show up on Sunday and listen to the pastor's sermon. But those kinds of churches are hard to find.
A really good shepherd recoginzes the giftings God has given those in his congregation, and where possible encourages them in their gifting, even going so far as to create opportunities for them to "try out" their gifts.
My daughter and I have taken to witnessing where we happen to be, trusting God to open the doors for us. We don't go from door to door, hand out literature and such. Rather we enter every conversation whether at work or elsewhere, with the expectation that any minute a door might open.
Amazing how often that happens! She works with a lot of agnostics and atheists in biomedical research on campus. She doesn't pound them over the head with Scriptures, but every now and then a door opens so she can say something important, plant a seed.
See 'ya next Monday or Tuesday!